Well pump



May 8, 1934. J. PENROD NELL PUMP Filed Jan. 26, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l 271/6 n for J. PENROD May 8, 1934.

NELL PUMP Filed Jan.. 28., 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jg. 5a

ATTORNEY Patented May 8, 1934 NT QFFEC WELL PUMP Application January 26, 1929, Serial No. 335,352

8 Claims.

This invention relates to well pumps of the type in which the major working parts thereof may be withdrawn through the tubing to provide for expeditious inspection and repair at frequent intervals.

Briefly stated, an important aim of the invention is to provide a well pump in which a separate protecting and pumping chamber is set up in the line of pressure between the main pumping chamber and the tubing iiuid to protect the sealing devices of the main pumping chamber from the increased pressure prevailing during the up strokes of the pump and at the same time to avoid the settlement of sand on those parts of the pump most subject to wear.

Another object is to provide a well pump in which the circulation of uid through the pumping and protecting chamber is relied on to maintain this chamber and the space about the foot valve of the pump free of settling sand so that when desired, the pump may be unseated easily and withdrawn to the surface, the aforesaid pumping and protecting chamber also acting in concert with the main pumping chamber to increase the capacity of the pump.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the improved pump in seated position,

Figure 2 is a similar View through the pump in unseated position,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the upper portion of the pump,

Figure 4 is a similar view through the lower portion of the pump.

In the drawings the numeral 5 designates a tubing located within the usual casing and having connection at the lower portion thereof with a coupling 6. The coupling 6, in turn, has threaded connection with a housing 7 to the lower portion of which a combination coupling and foot valve shoe Sois attached. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate that the lower portion of the shoe 8 is threaded internally asV indicated at 9 for connection with an anchor of any sort and the passage through the shoe is shouldered internally as shown at 10 to form a seat for a foot valve 1l.

In carrying out the invention, the foot valve 111 may be provided with a suitable number of cups or other packing devices designed for iiuid tight contact with the wall of the passage through (Cl. 10S-487) the shoe to prevent the return of the fluid to the well. The upper portion of the passage through the shoe 8 is counterbored or enlarged as indicated at 14. to` form a chamber completely surrounding the upper portion of the foot valve and adapted for the circulation of a fluid as will be hereinafter described.

At this point, however, it might be explained that the uppermost cup of the foot valve 11 is preferably iiush or nearly so with the bottom wall of the chamber 14 so that the circulation of fluid through this chamber may be relied on to prevent the accumulation of settling sand about the cups of the foot valve. In this manner, the easy unseating of the foot valve is permitted.

Referring now to Figure 4, it will be seen that a fluid conduit 16 is extended upward from the foot valve and carries a piston 18 having substantially uid tight contact with the inner wall of the working barrel 17. A packing body 2O threaded into the piston 18 has a thimble 21 movable thereon and a spring 22 confined between opposed surfaces of the piston 18 and the thimble 21 urges the packing 23 outward into fluid tight contact with the inner wall of the working barrel. The intermediate portion of the packing body 20 is shown to be enlarged as indicated at 24 to provide an abutment for the packing 23 and the inverted cups 28, the latter being carried by the upper portion of the packing body.

The fluid conduit 16, the piston 18, the packing 23-28 and associated elements form what might be said to be a relatively iixed plunger, the upper portion of which is provided with a standing valve 29.

The relatively fixed plunger is received within a movable working barrel 17, the upper portion of which is provided with a traveling valve 30 suspended from a sucker rod 31.

To those skilled in the art, it will be apparent that the main pumping chamber is located between the standing valve 29 and the traveling valve Y3i) and that during the up stroke of the movable working barrel, fluid will be drawn into the main pumping chamber and discharged therefrcm on the down stroke of the working barrel. Of course, fluid from the well is admitted to the main pumping chamber by way of the conduit 16 and is discharged from the main pumping chamber by way of the traveling valve 30.

Attention is now invited to Figure 1 which illustrates that the coupling 6 is provided with a depending liner or Working barrel 40 closely embracing the movable working barrel 17 and having a substantially fluid tight contact therewith to resist the tubing pressure, especially during the up stroke of the pump. The fixed working barrel terminates at a point substantially midway of the ends of the housing 7 so that the lower portion of the housing 7 and the adjacent portions of the working barrel 17 and the fluid conduit 16 forms a lower combination pumping and protecting chamber 36. The combination protecting and pumping chamber 36 is in constant communication with the limited space between the interior of the working barrel 17 and the adjacent portion of the conduit 16 and the fluid in this chamber acts as an effective barrier between the undersides of the sealing devices 23 and 28 and the tubing pressure. Figure 4 illustrates that an aperture 146 in the lower portion of the member 17 provides constant communication between the chamber 36 and the interior of the member 17.

In further alluding to this phase of the invention, attention is directed to the fact that the limited space between the plunger 16 and the surrounding portion of the working barrel 17 offers a measiu'e of protection to the undersides of the packing devices 23-28 and during the diminution of such protection incident to the up stroke of the pump, the area of Contact of the member 17 with the depending working barrel 40 is concurrently increased to offset such reduction in protection.

The working barrel 17, in addition to functioning as such, varies the volume of the pumping and protecting chamber 36 and thus acts as a plunger in this chamber. Therefore, the memyber 17 acts as a combination working barrel and plunger and brings about a simultaneous reduction in the volume of the upper and lower pumping chambers and a simultaneous decrease in the volume of such chambers. That is to say, the cycle of operation of the two separate pumping chambers is the same.

On the up stroke of the combination working barrel-plunger 17, fluid is drawn into the chamber 36 by way of a valve 38 located in the enlarged upper portion of the foot valve and establishing communication between the fluid passage in the foot valve and the chamber 36. On the down stroke of the working barrel-plunger 17, fluid is discharged from the chamber 36 by way of upper and lower valves 39 and 41 respectively, the upper valve being positioned within a valve chamber 42, while the lower valve 41 is located within or adjacent to the lower portion of a bypass pipe 45. A port 44 establishes communication between the chamber 42 and the tubing. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate clearly that the pipe 45 is located exteriorly of and is entirely independent of the housing 7 and serves for the conduct of fluid from the lower pumping chamber 36 to the tubing at a point above the traveling valve 30.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the pumping action of the two separate pumping chambers is entirely separate from each other and that the fluid pumped by way of the lower chamber 36 will add substantially to the uid discharged by Way of the upper traveling valve 30. In this connection, it is pointed out that the aggregate capacity of the herein disclosed pump is determined by the outside diameter of the combination working barrel-plunger 17 rather than by the inside diameter of this part. That is to say, the aggregate capacity of the herein disclosed pump which is, of course, the sum of the capacities of the two pumping chambers is determined or fixed by the outside diameter of the combination working barrel-plunger 17.

It might be added that during the up stroke of the pump, when tubing pressure is the greatest, the concurrently increasing area of contact of the members 17 and 40 strengthens the protection to the chamber 36 during such stroke, while, concurrently with the down stroke the area of contact of the members 17 and 40 is decreased to allow the easy dropping away of the member 17 and the full down stroke thereof.

In action, the end portions of the member 17 sweep beyond the barrel 40 so the same may be scavenged free of sand by the surounding liquid.

The pump is of a diameter which permits the same to be introduced and withdrawn through the tubing and to unseat the pump it is necessary merely to exceed the normal up stroke thereof to bring the sleeve nut 37 into pressure contact with the lower end of the piston 18, whereupon the foot valve 11 is withdrawn from the shoe and continued upward movement will result in the withdrawal of the pump to the surface. Since the fluid being pumped by way of the chamber 36 is caused to circulate through the chamber 14 100 surrounding the upper portion of the foot valve, such foot valve is maintained free of sand and the unseating of the same is greatly simplified.

In summarizing it will be seen that the provision of the chamber 36 not only offers a substan- 105 tial measure of protection to the packing 23-28 against the increased tubing pressure prevailing during the up stroke and against settling sand, but also provides for a substantial increase in capacity thereby compensating for the reduction 1i() in size necessary to provide for the insertion and removal of the pump through the tubing.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a well pump, a relatively fixed plunger, a working barrel receiving the plunger and having a pumping chamber, and a liner receiving said Working barrel and having a fluid tight contact therewith, said working barrel being movable upwardly on the fluid lifting stroke into said liner whereby the area of contact of the liner and the working barrel is increased concurrently with the lifting stroke and decreased concurrently with the down stroke.

2. In a well pump, a housing, a xed piston within the housing, a combination movable working barrel and plunger receiving said piston, a fixed working barrel receiving said combination plunger and Working barrel and having a fluid tight contact therewith, said combination work- 13g ing barrel and plunger cooperating with said piston and the housing in the formation of a second pumping chamber receiving said combination Working barrel and plunger, said housing being provided with upper and lower couplings, and 13g means exteriorly of said housing establishing communication between said couplings.

3. In a well pump, a housing having upper and lower couplings, a xed plunger having a foot valve mounted in said lower coupling, a combina- 1 4h, tion working barrel and plunger receiving said V first named plunger and having a pumping chamber, a fixed working barrel carried by the upper coupling and depending into said housing and terminating substantially midway of the ends u; thereof whereby the lower portion of the housu ing and the adjacent portion of the first named plunger forms an annular pumping and protecting chamber receiving said combination working barrel and plunger, there being inlet and out- 15@ let means for said rst and second named chambers.

4. In a well pump, a plunger having a foot valve, a housing surrounding said plunger in spaced relation thereto and having a shoe for said foot valve, a movable Working barrel receiving the plunger and having a pumping chamber and also having means cooperating with said housing in the formation of a second pumping chamber, said foot valve being in the path of travel and exposed to the fluid circulating through said second named pumping chamber, separate inlet and outlet members for said second named pumping chamber, and a liner closely embracing said working barrel and positioned above said second named chamber.

5. In a pump for use in Wells, a relatively xed plunger having sealing devices, a working barrel receiving the plunger and having fluid tight contact with said sealing devices, said plunger and said working barrel being provided with valves cooperating with the barrel in the formation of a pumping chamber, and a xed liner embracing said working barrel and said plunger and coz operating therewith in the formation of a chamber communicating with the interior of said working barrel, said liner having a sealing contact with said barrel increased concurrently with the up stroke and decreased concurrently with the down stroke of the pump.

6. In a pump for use in wells, a relatively fixed plunger, a movable barrel receiving the plunger, and a fixed liner receiving the movable barrel, the overlap of the movable barrel with the fixed liner being increased concurrently with the decrease in the overlap of the barrel and the plunger.

'7. In a pump for use in wells, a relatively iixed plunger, a movable barrel receiving the plunger, and a fixed depending liner receiving the movable barrel, the overlap of the movable barrel with the xed liner being increased concurrently with the decrease in the overlap of the barrel and the plunger and vice versa.

8. In a pump for use in Wells, a relatively fixed plunger, a movable barrel receiving the plunger and a xed liner receiving the movable barrel and having contact therewith and extending to a point above said iixed plunger whereby the area of contact of the movable barrel with the liner is increased concurrently with the decrease in the overlap of the barrel and the plunger.

JOHN PENROD. 

